Chapter 30: Environmental Emergencies

Question 1

The rate and amount of heat loss or gain by the body can be modified in three ways. Which of the following is not one of those three ways?

• Increase or decrease heat production.
• Move to an area where heat loss is decreased or increased.
• Drink lots of hot drinks.
• Wear insulated clothing.

Answer 1

• Drink lots of hot drinks.

Question 2

A number of factors will affect how a person deals with a cold or hot environment. Which one of the following is NOT true?

• Small infants have poor thermoregulation at birth and do not have the ability to shiver and generate heat.
• Young children dehydrate quicker and need stimulants to counteract their dehydration.
• Poor circulation contributes to increased heat loss and gain in either environment.
• Medications taken by older persons can also affect their bodies’ thermostats, putting them at higher risk for hot or cold problems.

Answer 2

• Young children dehydrate quicker and need stimulants to counteract their dehydration.

Question 3

At what age do young children have the ability to shiver and generate heat?

Answer 3

ages 12 months to 18 months

Question 4

Recording specific results of your early assessment is particularly valuable in which condition?

Answer 4

hypothermic

Question 5

Signs and symptoms of hypothermia generally become progressively more severe as:

Answer 5

the body core temperature falls

Question 6

mild hypothermia will occur at which temperature?

Answer 6

90-95 degrees

Question 7

All patients who are severely injured are at risk for hypothermia. The first step of five steps listed to prevent further cold injury is:

Answer 7

remove the patient from the cold environment as promptly as possible

Question 8

After prolonged exposure to the cold, the skin may be freezing while the deeper tissues are unaffected. This condition is called:

Answer 8

frostnip

Question 9

Which of the following is the most common serious illness caused by heat?

• heat cramps
• heatstroke
• heat exhaustion or heat prostration
• heat hypoevaporation

Answer 9

heat exhaustion or heat prostration

Question 10

Why is it important to continue resuscitation efforts on a victim of a cold water drowning until the patient is pronounced dead by a physician?

Answer 10

Cold water drowning victims can sometimes be successfully resuscitated after a prolonged period.

Question 11

Why is it important that the victim of a snake bite remain calm?

Answer 11

remaining calm slows the spread of venom through the body

Question 12

What is the transfer of body heat to a colder object by direct contact called?

Answer 12

conduction

Question 13

Hot, dry, flushed skin is a sign of:

Answer 13

heatstroke

Question 14

Cold illness can be either a ___ or a ____ problem.

Answer 14

Cold illness can be either a local or a systemic problem.

Question 15

Local cold injuries include ____ , ____, and _____

Answer 15

Local cold injuries include frostbite, frostnip, and immersion foot.

Question 16

_____ is the most serious local cold injury because tissues actually freeze.

Answer 16

Frostbite

Question 17

All patients with a local cold injury should be _____ and _____

Answer 17

removed from the cold and protected from further exposure.

Question 18

If instructed to do so by medical control, rewarm frostbitten parts by immersing them in water at a temperature between ______.

Answer 18

100°F and 112°F (38°C and 44.5°C)

Question 19

D. The key to treating hypothermic patients is to ____ and _____. Do not attempt to rewarm patients who have moderate to severe hypothermia because they are prone to developing arrhythmias.

Answer 19

stabilize vital functions and prevent further heat loss

Question 20

Do not consider a patient dead until he or she is ____ and dead

Answer 20

warm

Question 21

The body’s regulatory mechanisms normally maintain body temperature within a ____ range around 98.6°F (37°C).

Answer 21

very narrow

Question 22

Body temperature is regulated by _______ via conduction, convection, evaporation, radiation, and respiration.

Answer 22

heat loss to the atmosphere

Question 23

Heat illness can take three forms: _____, _____, and _____

Answer 23

heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Question 24

_____ are painful muscle spasms that occur with vigorous exercise.

Answer 24

heat cramps

Question 25

Treatment for heat cramps includes removing the patient from the heat, resting the affected muscles, and _____

Answer 25

replacing lost fluids.

Question 26

______ is essentially a form of hypovolemic shock caused by dehydration.

Answer 26

Heat exhaustion

Question 27

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include cold and clammy skin, weakness, confusion, headache, and rapid pulse. Body temperature can be high, and the patient may or may not still be sweating. Treatment includes _______
and treating for mild hypovolemic shock.

Answer 27

removing the patient from the heat

Question 28

_____ is a life-threatening emergency, usually fatal if untreated.

Answer 28

Heatstroke

Question 29

Patients with heatstroke are usually ____ and will have high body temperatures. Changes in mental status can include ___. Rapid_________ in the field is critical.

Answer 29

Patients with heatstroke are usually dry and will have high body temperatures. Changes in mental status can include coma. Rapid lowering of the body temperature in the field is critical.

Question 30

H. The first rule in caring for drowning victims is to be sure not to become a victim yourself. ____ when removing patients from the water because spinal cord injuries often occur in drownings. Be aware of the possibility of hypothermia.

Answer 30

protect the spine

Question 31

Be aware of the possibility of _____ with drowning victims

Answer 31

hypothermia

Question 32

Injuries associated with scuba diving may be immediately apparent or may show up ____.

Answer 32

hours later

Question 33

Patients with air embolism or decompression sickness may have pain, paralysis, or _____. Be prepared to transport such patients to a recompression facility with a ____

Answer 33

altered mental status, hyperbaric chamber.

Question 34

A person who has been bitten by a pit viper needs prompt transport; ______ and _____ to slow the spread of venom.

Answer 34

clean the bite area and keep the patient quiet

Question 35

Notify the hospital as soon as possible if a patient has been bitten by a coral snake; its venom can cause paralysis of the _____, and most hospitals do not have appropriate ____ on hand.

Answer 35

nervous system, antivenom

Question 36

Patients who have been bitten by ticks may be infected with _____ or ____ and should see a doctor within a day or two. Remove the tick using tweezers, and save it for identification.

Answer 36

Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease

Question 37

Always provide _______ for any patient who has been bitten by a poisonous insect or animal. Remember that vital signs can deteriorate rapidly. Carefully monitor the patient’s vital signs en route, especially for _____

Answer 37

prompt transport to the hospital, airway compromise.

Question 38

Always provide _______ for any patient who has been bitten by a poisonous insect or animal. Remember that vital signs can deteriorate rapidly. Carefully monitor the patient’s vital signs en route, especially for _____

Answer 38

prompt transport to the hospital, airway compromise.

Question 39

The loss of body heat due to circulating air is an example of ____________.

Answer 39

convection

Question 40

What mechanism is used to generate body heat during hypothermia?

Answer 40

Shivering

Question 41

At what core body temperature does shivering cease?

Answer 41

90°F (32°C)

Question 42

How does frostbite differ from frostnip?

Answer 42

Tissues are frozen in frostbite.

Question 43

What are the two most efficient ways the body can cool itself?

Answer 43

Sweating and the dilation of blood vessels

Question 44

What condition results from the body’s normal cooling mechanisms becoming overwhelmed?

Answer 44

heatstroke

Question 45

What is the first step in treating the patient with heatstroke?

Answer 45

Move the patient out of the hot environment.

Question 46

How does near drowning differ from drowning?

Answer 46

Near drowning is at least temporary survival after suffocation in water.

Question 47

What is the most common and dangerous scuba diving emergency?

Answer 47

Air embolism

Question 48

What type of spider has venom that is neurotoxic?

Answer 48

Black widow